Vanessa Antwort
Vanessa Antwort is a minor antagonist and a post mortem character in the 07-Ghost series. Born the daughter of King Antwort, she later became King Weldeschtein Krom Raggs's official wife for political reasons, making her the Queen of Raggs and Teito Klein's stepmother, as well as one of Ayanami's and Fea Kreuz's sisters-in-law. Vanessa aided the Pope in his plans to revive Verloren, albeit unintentionally. It is likely that she died during the Raggs war. She was neither seen nor mentioned during the Antwort War, and has not appeared again since the flashback in Kapitel 68. Also, the Raggs War was a genocide of the inhabitants of Raggs, further hinting that it is likely she died during the Raggs War. Etymology 'Vanessa' means 'butterfly' in Greek, and 'of Venus' in Latin. Venus is the Roman goddess of love, beauty, sex, fertility and desire. Venus's Greek counterpart is Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. 'Antwort' means 'answer' in German. Appearance Physical appearance Vanessa had an average height, a slim build, long, light-coloured hair done in an elaborate hairstyle that somewhat resembled a one-winged butterfly, a large bust, and large eyes. She wore lipstick. As she was a royal, she probably had pale skin. Clothing As a queen, she was always shown wearing long, formal gowns. Like Krom, she did not wear a crown. Vanessa often adorned the right side of her head with elaborate accessories. When carrying out her plan to kidnap Teito, she wore a dark cloak with a hood, and wore the hood up to conceal her identity. Rsz 11k06806.jpg|Vanessa in her royal finery. Personality Vanessa's personality is rather similar to her father's. She places a great deal of importance on social status, as she looked down on Millea for being a commoner and a concubine. She was also bitter, bearing a grudge against Millea and Tiashe, and can be considered cruel, as she was willing to sacrifice an innocent child to achieve her own goals. However, she was not entirely without a conscience, as she eventually confessed her crimes(it's also implied that she may have been manipulated by the Shadow Man like the Pope and Emperor Wolfram, since she remembered someone said to her that 'if he (Tiashe) makes you so sad, kill him'). Vanessa was a jealous and possessive woman, unwilling to accept Krom's love for Millea and Tiashe. Like her father, she was prone to angry outbursts, and was not above verbally abusing others. Relationships Family Weldeschtein Krom Raggs Although their marriage was arranged, Vanessa truly loved Krom and was rather possessive of him. However, although he was kind to her, he did not truly love her as he did his concubine, Millea. Vanessa knew this and was almost driven to insanity as a result. Teito Klein Vanessa harboured a great hatred for Tiashe, seeing him as an obstacle to Krom's affection- as she knew Krom was reminded of Millea Klein whenever he saw Tiashe. She wished that he had never been born because then Krom would have still loved her. However, she may have felt remorse for putting a sklave mark on Tiashe's body, as she eventually confessed to Krom that she had given Tiashe to the Pope, who cheated Vanessa that her sin would be forgiven if she handed Tiashe to him. Fea Kreuz: Vanessa and her brother-in-law Kreuz did not interact much. His attitude towards her was formal and polite (on the surface), addressing her with the formal title 'Ouhi' (Japanese for 'Queen'), but he was not afraid to voice his opinions when he suspected Vanessa was guilty of something. Before the Raggs War broke out, Krom put Teito in the custody of Kreuz to keep Teito safe and away from Vanessa. It is possible that in truth Kreuz did not really like her, since he loved Teito very much and knew that Vanessa hated his nephew, dangerously. It is unclear if Vanessa knew that Kreuz was her brother-in-law. Ayanami: '''Vanessa has never been shown directly interacting with her other brother-in-law, Ayanami, but he apparently knew about her, as he once talked to her father, and has mentioned her to Hyuuga. '''Parents: Vanessa's relationship with her parents has not been shown. So far it is only known that King Antwort gave Vanessa's hand in marriage to Weldeschtein Krom Raggs for political reasons. Considering that Antwort eventually seceded from its alliance with Raggs and stole Pandora's Box from Raggs, it is possible that, unlike his daughter, King Antwort did not like or respect Krom and Antwort's alliance with Raggs. Vanessa's mother has not appeared in the series so far, and nothing is known about Vanessa's relationship with her. However, Vanessa can be considered as spoiled, since she needs others to change in order to cater to her instead of she changing herself or her plans to cater to others. In light of that, it is likely that either her parents have been indulgent of her, often yielding to her wishes, or they have been neglectful of her, so she grew up possessive and inconsiderate. It seems likely that Vanessa's personality was influenced by her father's. Others Millea Klein: Vanessa was bitterly jealous of, and hated, Millea for having Krom's love. She did not respect Millea due to the latter's commoner status, and always referred to Millea as 'mistress', 'that mistress' or 'that woman' instead of using Millea's name. It is unknown how Millea felt towards Vanessa. In a long dream that Millea had, in which people she (Millea) once knew greeted her and informed her that Teito is still among the living, Vanessa was not seen. This could mean that either Millea also dislikes Vanessa, or is aware of Vanessa's animosity towards her. 'The Pope: '''Vanessa appeared to respect and trust the Pope. When he told her that her sins would be forgiven if she handed her stepson Teito over to him, she believed him. Together with the Pope, she killed another child and deceived everyone that Teito was dead. However, unbeknownst to Vanessa, the Pope had his own plans for Teito, and it is likely that she was unaware of the Pope's intentions to revive Verloren. History Early childhood Little is known about Vanessa's early years. She was born in Antwort, the daughter and only child of King Antwort, and grew up in Antwort Palace. As a royal, it is likely that she had a very privileged upbringing. Nothing is known about her mother. Adulthood Through marrying King Weldeschtein Krom Raggs, she became the Queen of Raggs. Although it was a political marriage arranged to ally the Raggs and Antwort kingdoms, she truly loved King Krom. (manga chapter 68) King Krom was kind to her, and she was given the greatest consideration-Teito was kept away from her out of respect for her wishes. However, she was not satisfied with this. Abducting Teito While initially pleased with Millea Klein's illness, Vanessa came to realise Krom's love for his concubine will continue through his love for his son Teito Klein- who resembled her greatly. These feeling's were further intensified by the King's announcement that Teito will be made the official heir to the Raggs Kingdom, despite being an illegitimate child. Maddened and heartbroken by the fact her husband would never love her in the way he loved Millea, Vanessa sought to dispose of the young Prince so Krom's love for Millea would die with his son. When Teito Klein was left in the care of a Royal Attendant, Vanessa lured him away from his guardian by promising to help him find flowers for his father. She then took him to a dungeon and branded his back with a Sklave brand which would forever mark him as less than human. However, after doing so, she was overcome with fear- as discovery of her crime would likely result in her execution, and was thus easily manipulated by The Pope- who proposed they kill another child in Teito place and the Prince's attendant be used as a scapegoat. This would save Vanessa's life, but in return Vanessa would give the Prince to the Pope. Vanessa agreed. She felt guilty about her actions, as although she initially tried to lie that she knew nothing, she eventually broke down and admitted what she'd done after Fea Kreuz and Krom asked her if she knew anything about where Tiashe was. Her current status is presumed to be deceased. Appearances Quotes *"I feel like sadness is tearing my chest apart..."In Kapitel 68, Vanessa says "悲しみで私の胸は張り裂けそうですわ". *'You treasure me very much. Just like how you treasure everyone equally, you treasure me as well. But...no matter how affectionately you look at me, even if you gathered a million of such gazes, it can never match that one gaze you give that child born from that mistress!' (to Weldeschtein Krom Raggs) *'That's why...I gave that child...to the Pope...' (confessing to Krom) Trivia *Some 07-Ghost fans in Japan call her "正妃" (''seihi) (lit. lawful wife). *A fan in Japan has said that Vanessa reminded her of the jade, in the sense that the jade is delicate and if one drops it against the floor, it can become pieces. *Some fans think that Vanessa's hair style looks like a one-winged butterfly. This could be a reference to her name, as 'Vanessa' means 'butterfly' in Greek. *Vanessa's words, "only that woman can give him an heir, while I cannot" in manga chapter 35 are ambiguous. It may mean that she is unable to bear children. *Some fans suspect that she may have been manipulated by the Shadow Man like the Pope and Emperor Wolfram, since she remembered someone said to her that 'if he (Tiashe) makes you so sad, kill him'. *Unbeknownst to her, Vanessa was involved in a "love square": her husband's concubine was loved by another man, Emperor Wolfram. References Site Navigation Category:Characters Category:Female Category:Minor characters Category:Antagonists Category:Human Category:Royalty Category:Deceased Category:Flashback characters Category:Killed Category:Raggs Category:Antwort Category:Casualties of Raggs War Category:Queens Category:Manga Characters Category:Manga only Category:Princesses